camera techniques

 CAMERA MOVEMENTS

Camera movement can add a lot of meaning to your footage and hence it is extremely important to understand how different movements are interpreted to the viewers.

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What is a camera movement you may ask?

a camera movement is a filmmaking technique that describes how a camera moves about to help enhance a story. 

Specific camera movements help change the audience’s view without cutting; they can be a great way to make your video more immersive and engaging.

• Pan shot 

A pan is when you move your camera from one side to the other. Panning generally is helpful to reveal a larger scene, like a crowd or to reveal something off-screen.

• Tilt shot

To tilt, imagine your camera is your head nodding up and down.
Tilts are helpful as a reveal technique either to unveil something from top to bottom or the reverse.

• Zoom shot

Zooming’ is probably the most commonly used camera movement; it lets you quickly move closer to the subject without physically moving. 

• Tracking shot

A ‘tracking shot’ is one in which the camera moves alongside what it’s recording. Tracking shots are sometimes called dolly shots, but they can be differentiated by the direction they take.

• Dolly shot

A ‘dolly shot’ is when the camera moves toward or away from the subject you’re shooting. Instead of utilising the zoom to get closer, the camera is physically moving relative to the subject.

Using a dolly to push in slowly helps build drama or tension in a scene or simply some significance to the subject it’s moving in on.

• Hand held shot

it’s a shot that is shot with the use of hands to add to the realism of a scene and make the viewers feel like they are part of the action themselves.

• Crab shot

a type of shot which involves the camera being placed in a confined space. e.g. A shot taken from inside a cupboard is the subject opens the cupboard door.

• Canted Angle

A shot which is tilted to one side. This is often used to create a feeling of disorientation.

• Focus pull shot

a shot where the focus in the scene shifts from one subject to the other without the camera moving its position.

• Aerial shot

An aerial shot is a shot that's taken from an elevated vantage point than what is framed in the shot. Aerial shots gives viewers a deeper understanding of what is happening below, both literally and metaphorically.

• Deep Focus

 a camera technique that allows objects both near and far from the camera to be in focus at the same time.

• Crane Shot (or Aerial):

 a type of shot in which a camera is positioned on a specially

designed crane, which can be raised and lowered . A crane shot is a high- angle shot but the versatility of the equipment allows a director to start a shot from a high-angle and then swoop down toward the subject at ground level.

• Shallow Focus 

Describes a shot where an object near the front is in focus, and everything else behind is out of focus (blurry). Often used to make one thing seem more important. 

• Loose frame

It is a shot where there is a lot of room around an object to show them alone, isolated or important. This will also be considered a two shot.

• Low angle shot

Camera approaches the subject from a low angle. it makes the subject appear big and powerful.